Sunday, September 02, 2007

Before I forget, check out the new issue of Alternative Press magazine. In issue #231, October 2007, with the band Chiodos semi-nude on the cover you'll find an op-ed piece by little old me on page 26. Alternative Press started out as a local fanzine for the Cleveland punk scene. When they started getting big they gave Dimentia 13 a lot of nice reviews (thank you). Now I got to make my contribution. Though reading the rest of the mag I realize how incredibly out of touch I am with the music scene these days. You kids and your whipper-snappin' punk rock!

I just got back from Montreal last night. The talk at McGill University up there went really well. The previous day I was a guest on a show on Montreal's CBC radio called Radio Noon with Anne Lagace-Dowson. Anne really knew her stuff about my book, which is rare in radio interviewers. I also did an interview with John Maciel of CKWR FM Radio, which was pretty cool too. Those shows generated so much response we got moved from the small room we'd originally been booked into to a larger lecture hall. And even that was standing room only. Gosh. The same thing happened at the Interdependence Project in New York City, the place was packed beyond capacity. Don't people on the East Coast have anything better to do?

While I was up in the Great White North yet another researcher wanted to scan my brain. Last year I got brain-scanned down in the great state of Georgia. So this is the second time I've participated in a study where scientific types have wanted to peek inside the brains of meditators to see if our are different from those of just plain folks. I'm always game for these things. I think it's great that such research is being done and I'm as curious as the next guy to see how it turns out. Maybe my brain is like totally round and has developed a special gland that can shoot out lazer beams or unhook girls' bras from ten feet away or something. That would be rad!

While I really support this kind of research, I wonder if the changes that years of Zazen practice causes in the brain can be measured by MRIs and suchlike. I'd imagine they can. I certainly feel a lot different now from what I did before I started this practice. But I also imagine the chemical and physical changes to the brain might be subtle. But what do I know about brains anyway? I'm like Fred Flintsone when it comes to brains. Ask the Great Gazoo.

Montreal was fun and French. After my brain scan I went with the guy who'd scanned me to sit with the Association Zen de Montreal, a group founded by Taisen Deshimaru. Deshimaru Roshi was a pal of Nishijima's. Both were students of Kodo Sawaki. They used to meet every time Deshimaru Roshi came back to Japan from France. Nice group. I didn't get to see a whole lot, though, in the short time I was there. They sit with black kimonos on, which are provided for everyone who shows up. I've seen other Zen places that do this. It's nice in that everyone gets to wear something very comfortable to sit in no matter what clothes they were wearing when they showed up. It also creates a nice "Zen" type atmosphere to see everyone wearing them. It's probably not a practice I'll adopt because the folks who come to see me sometimes tend to freak out over matters of costuming and suchlike (Calm down, OK? It's just clothes).

I really like Montreal and hope to spend some more time there in the near future. I like places that get cold sometimes.

44 comments:

Anonymous
said...

"Don't people on the East Coast have anything better to do?"

We in the East do not live in an enviroment where you can't spit without hitting an acknowedged spiritual teacher-type. Adyashanti was impressed with the seriousness of his East coast groupies - that they "didn't get up to pee every five minutes" during his talks.

So, what's so great about California, anyway - it's just got lots of people who take you guys for granted...

Well here in NYC we have this neat thing called public transportation so we can read your book on the way to work. Which means we have heard of you. We also have small apartments so we go out more. Also its easy to walk across town to see you because we have sidewalks!

I used to live in LA, we had to drive to Venice Beach so we could walk arround in a semi urban setting.

to freak out over matters ofcostuming and suchlike (Calmdown, OK? It's just clothes).

Bullshit. It's fuckin' weird.And lame. Like the fraternityassholes in "Animal House"who wear robes and spank each other.It's gay in a bad way, like theSuperbowl and the military(unlike Graham Norton, who's gayin a good way).

If you're promoting "ordinary mind",why not wear ordinary clothes?

Robes might have been fine in7th century China where that'swhat everybody wore, but nowit's just an embarrassment.

Those shows generated so much response we got moved from the small room we'd originally been booked into to a larger lecture hall. And even that was standing room only. Gosh. The same thing happened at the Interdependence Project in New York City, the place was packed beyond capacity. Don't people on the East Coast have anything better to do?

Glad to hear things went well on your tour. Hope things work out well on the job front too.

New York seems to be the Zen capital of America. I'm not surprised you got a big turnout there.

Thanks to whoever started postingthe 9/11 stuff. I checked outsome of your links and soon gotsucked in trying to prove youwrong. Unfortunately, I'm becomingmore and more convinced that youare right.

On the bright side, it's turningout to be a lot more fun thanwatching reruns of "Law and Order".I get to be the detective puttingthe puzzle together.

In trying to answer the question"Cui bono?", I came across someadditional information.

The owner of World Trade Center 7,Larry Silverstein, spoke regularlywith Benjamin Netanyahu (formerIsraeli prime minister). This isparticulary interesting given thecase of the five dancing Israelisarrested in New York City on 9/11.

Investigating such matters seemsto me essential to ending theoccupation of Iraq and preventingthe bombing of Iran.

By the way, I myself am Jewish,but I do not support the fascistpolicies of the State of Israel.

I'd like a robe! Of course the problem is administration starts getting trickier. Now you gotta provide a place for men and women to change into the robes...or if they are supposed to be worn over the clothes what's the point? They probably would get hot and uncomfortable.

The subject of robes and special clothing.No different methinks than what we already do in our regular lives--I mean we wear pj's and nighties and such to go to sleep in, we wear various kinds of 'uniforms' to work in--be it a suit-and-tie or football regalia, or something that's got our name embroidered or pinned on our chest, these are just aids in helping perform the task at hand: go nighty-night; smile at other CEO's and admire pictures of family members on their desks; go out at kick ass, go rooter those backed up sinks....I see no objection to having clothes to sit in.I think it helps 'get in the mood.'I also think it brings out the fact that all clothing is 'This.'Why not give it a go and see. You could have robes available for those who wish, and they could be optional, so no one would feel it was forced upon them.

I see this as potentially very helpful. Way too often I've shown up for a Buddhist teaching and tried to sit and meditate beforehand, only to realize that I didn't plan well, and the clothes I wore to work that day aren't good meditation clothes. If the center can provide that support for people who come to sit, so much the better.

Also, this way there's less potential distraction from people's wardrobe choices, e.g. T-shirts w/disturbing images or clothing that exposes a little too much.

Maybe I'm just the worst meditator in the class, but when a girl sits down right in front of me and I can check out both her lower back tattoo *and* what's below it... I have been known to lose concentration briefly.

This isn't about group identity, uniforms, or anything silly like that. It's about what helps people practice.

And which is more comfortable for meditation and conducive to the physical side of samadhi ? A Godzilla suit (or even ordinary clothes) ? Or robes ? That's easy ! ROBES !

As for the color, black tends to be less distracting and makes the clothes of the guy sitting next to you one less thing to arise in your mind during zazen. No one in my sangha wears formal robes except on formal occasions. Regardless, all of the long-time sitters always wear black when sitting zazen with the sangha.

Speaking of sangha: You sit with a group to gain the benefits of a group (whatever those may be) and robes may be just an element of that group's activities that bring about those benefits. If the benefits of sitting with a robe-wearing group are worthwhile, then wearing the robes are worthwhile. If not, then its time to set the robes aside (and find a group that doesn't wear them.)

In any case, whether you wear robes or not, fearing conformity isn't going to help you walk the path.

As shown in the movie "Munich",Mossad is famous for blowing upbuildings when it suits theirpurposes. So why not blow upa few in the US? Especially whenit buys them the might of theUS military (and the money ofthe US taxpayer).

If you're interested in how meditation (and other activities) can create physical changes in the structure of the brain, I highly recommend Sharon Begley's book "Train Your Mind; Change Your Brain" ISBN 978-1-4000-6390-1.

The foreword is by the Dalai Lama, but don't let that put you off. Begley writes lucidly and well and covers a heck of a lot of research on the plasticity of the brain. The book does not confine itself to meditation effects, but such are included.

This is not a new age, peppermint dolphins and wonder crystals tome, but a fairly rigorous scientific report on the state of current brain research. Parts of it are a bit dry, but if you're a geek like me, you like that kinda stuff.

jeez, why do people always have to bring the nazis into EVERY SINGLE ARGUMENT? it's just silly. do you really think that someone will read your little nazi comparison and think! wow he's right! better not wear any robes or in any way conform to any social group! i might end up being a nazi!

Brad, Nishijima, and Dogen certainly have opinions. And I am pretty sure you have opinions about both Tibetan Buddhism and Catholicism.

My quote is from a famous Zen poemVerses on Faith in Mind. You should ask a Zen teacher to explain it to you. I'm just a poor deluded Tibetan Buddhist. But as far as I understand it, I think Chogyam Trungpa explained it well: "It's like parting your hair. You don't think the hair on the left side is bad or the hair on the right side good."

Groups of people all wearing the same uniform are probably not a good thing.

There's a concert album by Frank Zappa where a kid who's being hassled by the security guard shouts. "I won't be pushed around by a man in a uniform!" Frank Zappa replies, "Don't fool yourself. Everyone here is wearing a uniform."

The foreword is by the Dalai Lama, but don't let that put you off.

Peope here are less likely to read a book because the Dalai Lama likes it? Yikes! I've fallen in with a crowd of reincarnation disbelieving, Dalai Lama hating, James Randi worshiping Zennies. Well. at least you seem to like Philip Dick.

The nude zazen ad worked -- about 12 people showed up Saturday for zazen, around half of them newbies. Nice people, I hope to see them again.

While I think mandatory robes wouldn't work well with our group, I'm all for anyone who wants to wear a robe. I'd be even more supportive of someone who wanted to take up the practice of the kesa.

For me, what works is a teeshirt and knee-length shorts when it's warm, and sweats when it's cold. If the flaming spinal cord on the back of my shirt distracts you, then that is your practice. You're welcome.

Come on guys dissing the Dalai Lama is so lame, just because Soto Zen is plain vanilla and he is cherry chocolate with carmel swirl,it's still ice cream. It sounds like those 57 flavors of Christians that I cannot tell apart but who start holy wars over minor points about is God 3 or one or one in 3.

DL is a really smart man and it's pretty clear if you see him speak that he is enlightened, if such things exist and has a lot to say that is worth hearing. Tibet house is pretty into marketing the man here in NYC but they put on good programs sometimes.

I spent a couple years reading on a hoax debunking site that had several 9/11 threads. Try doing some research other than the "sounds plausable" arm-waving hysteria.

The mechanics and mechanisms of demolition are much more complicated than woowoos want to belive. If imperialist evildoers wanted to destroy American skyscrapers for whatever reason (the reasons vary - classic woowoo theories - they all contradict), the easiest way would be to convince Arab extremists to fly hijacked aircraft into them. Cat's paws.

Or you can actually [i]read[/i] the news and realize that Arab extremist have their own agenda that has nothing to do with Mossad, Silverstein, or the illuminated ones allegedly running our govermnent.

Can we keep the discussions here VAGUELY related to zen practices? There are other places to wave your paranoid but ill-informed arms about.

i have posted an article about what science found out about zazen and how it affects our brain at my blog, the post is called Biology of zazen and I think the scientists there explain pretty well how Brad has changed and turned into such an easy going guywho enjoys washing dishes

"jeez, why do people always have to bringthe nazis into EVERY SINGLE ARGUMENT?"

Obviously, you've never heard ofGodwin's Law, and unfortunately,it is the price of free speechon the Internet.

Achtung!

But, then again, maybe talk of the Nazi cultis appropriate in the context of Zen giventhat Japanese Zen Masters were enthusiasticsupporters of their country's militarismduring WWII, as described in the book"Zen at War".

Also, American Zen has exhibited cult-likebehavior repeatedly over the last 40 years,as described in the bookShoes Outside the Door.

But, yeah, I'd have to agree that overallthe Nazi-cult comparisons are prettytiresome and annoying, similar to those"Daddy's home!" posts that arejust plain creepy.

roman g said:fearing conformity isn't going to help you walk the path.--anonymous said:When the people around you start goose-stepping and chanting "Sieg Heil!", fearing conformity will probably help you walk the path more than joining the group.--

Conform when it is beneficial to one's practice; Resist conformity when it is beneficial to one's practice. Fearing, however, is an obstacle to one's practice.

"Obviously, you've never heard ofGodwin's Law, and unfortunately,it is the price of free speechon the Internet."

unfortunately i have heard of it. i just can't believe that so many people haven't that they think that bringing up the nazis ever helps make their case.

notice how the 9/11 woowoo totally ignored the most sensible debunking argument from old dog.i'll repeat:

EVEN IF YOU ARE STUPID ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT THE US GOVERNMENT DELIBERATELY BLEW UP THEIR OWN BUILDING, THE BEST WAY FOR THE 'ILLUMINATI' TO HAVE BLOWN UP THE TOWERS WOULD HAVE BEEN TO CONVINCE SOME TERROISTS TO HIJACK A PLANE AND FLY IT INTO THEM! WAY CHEAPER THAN DEMOLITION ETC AND MUCH HARDER TO TRACE BACK.

As far as costumes go, I'm with Frank Zappa! I am a heavily tattooed lawyer with a history of hanging out with punks and skinheads. My default dress is jeans/pants, a t-shirt (usually black, sometimes with a band's logo), Doc Martins or Chucks, and a mick. However, when I am playing the role of lawyer (or, more recently, law professor), I wear a costume: slacks and a long-sleeve oxford. I just look at it like during the day, I'm Clark Kent. At night, I'm Superdork.